Nicholas’ Hook Torture Test – Gamakatsu, TMC, Daiichi, and Ahrex

This is the result of the Nicholas Hook Torture Test administered on a variety of Gamakatsu, Daiichi, TMC, and Ahrex fly tying hooks.

The picture tells the story I think.

No, this is not science, this is a pile of hooks that is the aftermath of sitting down at my fly bench, placing a series of my hook boxes on the desk, grabbing my needle nose pliers, and proceeding to torture the hooks. What I mean is that I held the shank between my left thumb and forefinger, and grasped the point in the jaws of the pliers. I then proceeded to bend the hook open – with the intent of testing whether or not the wire would break or bend. I tested a fair variety of the hook styles that I routinely tie with – manufactured by Gamakatsu, TMC, Daiichi, and Ahrex.

Here is what I found.

1. There was no difference in the break rate between all hook brands I tested.
2. All hook brands had a few individual hooks that broke.
3. Some hook models had no breakage.
4. No hook manufacturer or hook model had more than an occasional hook break.

My intent of conducting this test was very simple, to determine if any particular brand or brands of hooks were more likely to fail by breaking when placed under stress while fishing. I am not implying that my plier torture test has much to do with the actual stress associated with fishing. Still, I was curious about what my spur of the moment test might reveal.

This was particularly related to the fact that I began tying with Ahrex hooks this year, after many years of experience with Gamakatsu, TMC, and Daiichi hooks.

To my satisfaction, the Ahrex hooks performed on par with all of my usual hook manufacturers.

While this test is far from highly thought-out, I found it comforting and I offer my opinions for your consideration.